


Mutual Denial

by MWolfe13



Series: Tropes&Fandoms2020 [8]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, MMFBingo2019, Mutual Pining, TropesandFandoms2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23481745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MWolfe13/pseuds/MWolfe13
Summary: They're smart in everything but love.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Tony Stark
Series: Tropes&Fandoms2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1661083
Comments: 3
Kudos: 71
Collections: Marvelously Magical Bingo 2019, Tropes & Fandoms 2020





	Mutual Denial

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Tropes and Fandoms 2020 on Melting Pot FanFiction AND MMFBingo2019
> 
> Tropes and Fandoms 2020: Regular- Mutual Pining  
> MMFBingo2019: Square O3- Tony Stark/Hermione Granger
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Marvel, simply playing in a well-loved sandbox.

Tony Stark was in love with Hermione Granger.

It was an all-encompassing feeling he’d come to terms with long before now. Since the first day she’d come to the team with her superior attitude and enough snark to battle with him, Tony had felt the spark. He’d dismissed it as lust at the time. Why wouldn’t he when she was one of the few around him with an impressive brain that she knew how to use? Hell, he’d taken a second look at Banner at some point based on his intellectual prowess alone. So lust, a burning fire he was sure to get over depending on how bored he became.

Only, that didn’t happen.

He grew bored, an inevitability, but not of her. She kept him engaged, yearning to be in her presence whenever the opportunity arose. Her magic fascinated the scientist part of him, and they’d had long debates on the subject until he’d had to think up an excuse to get away or take her on the closest available surface. He’d realized it was love during one of his company parties when he’d declined going home with the many ladies that threw themselves at him, because all he could see was brown messy curls thrown up into a haphazard bun. All he could think was that she’d be reading on the couch with a glass of wine until he came home unless he told her otherwise. He never wanted to tell her otherwise.

Still, even after the revelation, he didn’t say anything. This wasn’t the first time he’d thought the big L, but something in his gut clenched when he thought about telling her. What if she didn’t feel the same? What if she had some magic person lined up for her that the team didn’t know about? Most of the time she was extremely vague about others like her, a security agreement, and the only thing they knew was that she was the first in her family with magic. Tony’s self-preservation instincts had gone down the drain over the years, but protecting his heart was another matter. 

He was watching her laugh with Natasha when Steve bumped his shoulder. “When are you going to stop being a coward and tell her how you feel?”

Tony deliberately looked away, reaching for the drink he’d been neglecting in favor of watching her face light up as she told some story with animated gestures. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

* * *

Hermione Granger loved Tony Stark.

It hadn’t started that way. When she’d first met him, she’d thought him sarcastic, arrogant, and crude. He’d jokingly propositioned her on her first day, openly offering to show her his rooms and stating she’d like his bed. He’d only been saved from her hexing him by Natasha slapping him upside the head. Still, they’d traded sarcastic barbs until Bruce offered to show her where she could set up her potions lab. 

She’d been so embarrassed at the time, forgetting that there’d been other people in the room. But he’d been in her face, impossible to ignore. She didn’t think about the heat that pulled in her belly when he’d brought out big words, always a major turn on for her. Instead, she’d resolved to have a strictly professional relationship with him. She’d done it before, locked any negative feelings away for the sake of a working partnership.

That lasted all of a week.

How could she help it when he’d shown such a genuine interest in what she was doing? He was always trying to prove that her magic was just another branch of science normal humans hadn’t unlocked yet, and their debates were invigorating. His mind was open to new concepts, and he never told her something was impossible. He’d thrown himself into helping her find a way for the technology they used to work with her magic without complaint. He respected her aversion to coffee, stocking up on the teas she liked. He made her laugh when he’d started sticking random pens and pencils in her updo’s like she was wont to do, and didn’t mind when he took them out again, often picking the one that would almost unravel the entire thing.

She knew she was in trouble then because she often  _ hated _ when anyone messed with her hair. 

The final fall had happened when he’d come home from an event, drunk and stumbling in exhaustion. She’d been relaxing with the latest Potion’s journal, mentally taking note of ingredient updates while sipping on red wine to unwind. Tony had loudly come in, his tie undone and hair disheveled. Hermione had tamped down on the uncomfortable feeling of green at the visible lipstick mark on his cheek. She knew what his appearance meant, but she’d reminded herself that he was free to do whatever he pleased with whoever he wanted to do it with. 

He’d seen her, and Hermione would swear for days that his eyes had lit up. He’d come over to her, smelling like alcohol and a mix of perfumes that clashed in a bad way. Tony had dropped unceremoniously onto the rest of the couch, ignoring the fact that there was another bigger one across from them. He’d laid his head on her thigh, wrapping his arms around her blanket-covered legs. Hermione had run her fingers through his messy hair, unable to help herself. 

Then he’d whispered something that had sent her over the edge before he’d fallen asleep. “This right here... This is home.”

Her heart wasn’t strong enough to resist after that. 

Hermione finished retelling her version of a day spent back home, tucking her hair behind her ear as she glanced Tony’s way. He was facing away from her, speaking to Steve with a glass in his hand. 

Natasha chuckled, “He couldn’t keep his eyes off you before. The both of you are disgusting.”

Hermione whipped her head back around. “Huh? What are you talking about, Nat?”

The redhead rolled her eyes. “Don’t deny it. I’ve taken bets on when the two of you will stop messing around and admit your feelings for each other.”

She bit her lip. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Tony and I are just friends.”

Natasha smirked. “Whatever you say, Hermione.”

Hermione changed the conversation, steering it as far away from her unspoken feelings for their mutual friend as she could. Still, her words played in the back of her mind. 

Did Tony have feelings for her? A spark of hope flared in the center of her chest. She didn’t want to assume, didn’t want to ruin the friendship they’d built. Yet, wasn’t she doing that friendship a disservice if they were lying to each other? How long could she stand wondering if her love for him was unrequited?

Maybe it was time to find out.

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out on Tumblr or Twitter under: MWolfe13


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